El Salvador Perspectives

I tried but failed to come up with a good thread to weave these stories from the past week together. Waves .  Since last weekend "marea viva" (high tides or king tides) and strong and fast waves have pounded parts of El Salvador's Pacific coast. Beaches in the department of La Libertad, particularly El Majahual, were heavily affected, with waves reportedly reaching heights of two to two and a half meters. The powerful waves led to damage to coastal businesses, with reports of tables and chairs being washed away. Videos shared on social media showed some of the chaos created by the big waves. Around May 25th, at least 50 people sustained injuries at El Majahual due to the strong wave action. The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) and Protección Civil issued warnings and advisories, urging the public to exercise caution, and avoid entering the sea during high tides. Access to El Majahual beach was restricted following these incidents.   Schools .  Pre...

After Nayib Bukele's offer to be Donald Trump's jailer for hire, there is a changing story about El Salvador being told in global media.  Bukele the image-maker is now having a toug her time controlling the narrative.  There is growing recognition that, behind the veneer of surfing and Bitcoin and tourism growth, exists a regime which is increasingly authoritarian, imprisons tens of thousands without trial or due process in incredibly harsh conditions, and actively represses journalists, human rights lawyers and community activists. With this loss of control of El Salvador's story-line, Bukele may be regretting the deal he made with Donald Trump and Marco Rubio. When Bukele shared the slick, but brutal, videos of Venezuelan men being dragged into CECOT,  the world's focus shifted from sun-soaked beaches being enjoyed by Bitcoiners to overcrowded Salvadoran prisons.  Journalists asked not just about the show prison called CECOT, but also about conditions in other...

The arrest of a prominent anti-corruption lawyer in El Salvador is highlighting the increased willingness of Nayib Bukele's government to arrest and imprison critics of the regime’s practices. Late Sunday night authorities arrested Salvadoran lawyer Ruth López at her home.  She is the head of the Anti-corruption and Justice unit at Cristosal, the most prominent Salvadoran human rights organization.  Both López and Cristosal have been outspoken critics of the Bukele government for its human rights record and patterns of corruption. The seizure of López comes at a moment when the Bukele regime is taking increasingly hard-line measures against its critics. Other activists and human rights defenders have also been imprisoned this year when they have been defending populations impacted by Salvadoran government policies.  López's is the highest profile arrest yet.  It illustrates that Bukele now feels he can take such actions with impunity. The arrest occurred in ...

Today the world is paying attention to Nayib Bukele, the president-jailer who cut a deal with the US to imprison persons the US sought to deport.  Now the world may learn more of Bukele's back story since  the journalists at El Faro have released video interviews of two leaders of the 18 Revolucionarios gang, one of three gangs which long controlled neighborhoods throughout El Salvador.  They describe how Bukele's team has made deals with gang leaders throughout the Salvadoran president's political career, up to the rupture with the gangs marked by Bukele's imposition of the State of Exception in El Salvador. The interviews were conducted by Oscar and Carlos Martinez, journalist brothers who have been reporting on the gangs and their dealings with politicians and government officials for more than a decade.  They published the interviews in a series of long video segments here . One of the two gang members is Carlos Cartagena López, aka "Charli de IVU", a lead...